Technology and the Work of Children

Summary form only given. One of the most enduring and marvelous traditions of children's culture has been that of craftwork - the creation of personal, homemade items from everyday materials. Often, this tradition is described as a kind of counterweight to the influence of technology: where technology is associated with (say) the Web, or video games, or robotics, children's crafts by contrast are assumed to be low-tech, somewhat old-fashioned activities. In point of fact, though, children's crafts have always taken advantage of technological advance; and in that sense, the current era is no different. The capabilities of digital media and new tangible materials herald what could be a marvelous reinvigoration of children's crafts. This talk will describe a variety of current projects at the Craft Technology Laboratory at the University of Colorado as an illustration of new possibilities for children's work. The talk will also include a variety of free project ideas for the offering - ideas that we ourselves haven't undertaken, and may never get to try at all, but that somebody somewhere ought to try.